Some brides and grooms just aren’t that into it.
They’re not into the hoopla, the “industrial wedding
complex” that tends to include things like overpriced floral
displays, white wedding dresses and three tiers of attractive though
inedible fondant. Or maybe they like the idea of flowers, dress, cake,
etc., but they want their personal stamp to be all over them,
preferably at low cost.
“We just kind of picked a location and, other than that,
everything wasn’t terribly important,” says Rachael Tullar,
who married her husband, Wade Tullar, this past July. “We
weren’t all into making it into some big extravagant
thing.”
The Tullars had a small wedding of about 55 guests at The Chism
House, a historic estate and event venue by the Truckee River in
Reno.
“I didn’t necessarily think the wedding should be a big
deal, but just something that came together,” says Rachael.
“My mom, she had all of these grand ideas, and I was like,
‘Whatever.’ I kind of pretty much went with whatever she
wanted to do.”
Rachael only became more interested in the wedding plans as they
became more personalized. For instance, her aunt did the flower
arrangements, which included some of her grandmother’s roses. A
friend took the photos, and her stepdad was their officiant. They also
made their own invitations, had the local but now defunct Brickhouse
Bakery make them a vegan cake, her mom created some decorations, and
their rehearsal dinner was a barbecue at their house.
“I liked that it wasn’t such a commercial wedding, and
then I did kind of get into it a bit more,” says Rachael.
The Tullars chose some “conventional” routes that helped
them keep their sanity, especially given that they weren’t
particularly excited about wedding planning. For instance, holding it
at a location geared toward weddings took a lot of logistics work out
of their equation. They also hired a caterer rather than do it
themselves, and when a friend couldn’t DJ at the last minute,
they hired someone to do that, too.
“I think I’m kind of a middle-of-the-road bride,”
says Rachael.
Other couples go clear to the other side of the road, opting for red
or purple dresses, punk rock processionals or bare bones ceremonies (a
daring feat in itself). While major bridal magazines haven’t yet
caught on to the needs of these couples, the blogosphere sure has. From
antibride.com to anotherfuckingwedding.com,
brides past and future are posting their ideas and inspirations for
making a wedding truly their own.
Some of the best “unbride” ideas we’ve
found
Fingerprint rings. The artists from Brent Williams Designs
send you an impression kit for your fingerprint. You send it back, and
they make a wedding ring out of it in white gold, yellow gold or
platinum silver, all for about $140 bucks with shipping. Search
“fabuluster” at etsy.com.
Tattooed wedding bands are another option.
Get a Flickr account and have guests take photos with their
digital cameras and post them to the account.
A Rice Krispies cake, decorated with fruit or flowers. See it
at thebrokeassbride.com.
Vampire-themed wedding: The Twilight craze has
extended beyond the cinema and bookstore. It’s turning up in
weddings, with red and black color schemes, red goblets, red lipstick,
and lots of vampy poses. One guess as to what will happen when
it’s time for “You may kiss the bride.” See it at
theunbride.com
Find out how to spend just $50 on flowers at tenthousandonly.blogspot.com.
Shoes: They can be neon green if she wants them to be. He can
wear sandals, Converses or cowboy boots. Along with a fancier dress or
suit, they look cute and fun, not cheap and foolish.
Walk down the aisle together. Or dance! See jkweddingdance.com.
Bridesmaids carry giant lollipops or balloons, rather than
flowers.
Hold a storybook wedding where the ring bearer and flower
girl dress up like Little Red Riding Hood or Max from Where the Wild
Things Are. Encourage your guests to get into the spirit of it with
their own costumes. Great shots of this idea are at helmutwalker.blogspot.com
“Just focus on what you really want to do,” says
Rachael. “It can be overwhelming with everyone trying to tell you
their ideas of what they think you should have. Focus on what you and
your husband want.”
Great websites for “unbrides,” the
budget-savvy and the inspiration-seeking:
offbeatbride.com
theunbride.com
thebrokeassbride.com
etsywedding.blogspot.com
tenthousandonly.blogspot.com
2000dollarwedding.com